Aircraft fuselages have to satisfy a number of criteria. A fuselage design, for example, has to take into account the corresponding aircraft's structural and performance requirements, as well as the aircraft's functional requirements. Moreover, the fuselage should be designed such that the respective aircraft can meet both current and future commercial and regulatory requirements. Aircraft designers accordingly have to balance all of these considerations when designing a particular aircraft.
An aircraft's internal cabin configuration is directly related to the configuration of the aircraft's fuselage. For example, commercial aircraft typically have multiple cabins configured to carry passengers and/or cargo. The fuselage configuration (e.g., cross-sectional dimension, length, etc.) of such aircraft directly affects the passenger seating arrangement and cargo hold arrangement within the aircraft. Many smaller commercial aircraft (e.g., Boeing 737s), for example, typically have a single aisle seating arrangement including (a) a business class or first class passenger cabin with a 2-2 seat-row arrangement (two seats on each side of the aisle), and (b) an economy class passenger cabin with a 3-3 seat-row arrangement (three seats on each side of the aisle). Larger commercial aircraft (e.g., Boeing 767s, Boeing 777s) typically include two aisle seating arrangements with various suitable seat-row arrangements. For example, a business class or first class passenger cabin typically will have a 2-2-2 seat-row arrangement, with two outboard seats on the left side of the fuselage, two center seats between the two aisles, and two outboard seats on the right side of the fuselage. The same aircraft also often has an economy class passenger cabin with a 2-4-2 seat-row arrangement, with two left outboard seats, four center seats between the aisles, and two right outboard seats.
Although many current cabin configurations are sufficient to help commercial operators realize adequate revenues while providing a suitable level of passenger comfort, there is a continuing need to improve aircraft efficiency and provide passengers an enhanced level of comfort and service. Moreover, there is a continuing need to provide cabin configurations that can be easily adapted and/or reconfigured to meet both present and future needs.